Judy Matheny

The first Monday of the month on the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Blog we spotlight a board member or volunteer to help you get to know our leaders and members a little better. Today's Q and A is with Judy Matheny, the person you'll want to contact when you're ready to jump in and help keep this wonderful organization humming.

1. Judy, tell us what you do for RMFW and why you are involved.

I was drafted from my Capitol Hill Critique Group to seek “higher office”. When I joined the group in 2010 I just thought it was stocked with great people and wonderful writers, but I have since learned many of RMFW’s leaders have come from the Capitol Hill Critique Group. Scott Brendel got my name on the ballot for Secretary in this past election, hoping that I would lose and be able to take over his position as Volunteer Coordinator. I did lose, which has been a blessing and I am now the Volunteer Coordinator for RMFW. It’s a wonderful post because I learn the inner workings of this organization and its needs. I also connect with new members and those wanting to help out. I attend the Board meetings and witness first-hand the energy of this organization. I believe our membership would be surprised by the extent of operations, offerings and projects that are underway at any given point and the volunteer support that keeps them going. If you’re interested in volunteering please send me a note at volunteer@rmfw.org.

2. What is your current WIP or most recent publication, and where can we buy a book, if available?

Right this moment I am linking two mystery manuscripts written ages ago into a series that my agent, Cricket Freeman (The August Agency), will be advancing for me. Each came so close to publication over the years and had been gathering dust until I was inspired at last year’s Colorado Gold to seek a more modern publishing route. The titles are Need to Know and Signed Statement. A female FBI Agent is caught up in task force intrigue in New York City. I stole from past experiences since I was an agent with the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force in NYC for many years. More to come on this! I have a musical in development in Denver taken from The Princess in My Head, a story I wrote for my daughter when she was eleven. Several talented theater people I know wrote a wonderful score aimed at the middle and high school audience, and now we’re finalizing my script. My new novel is roughly titled The Sylvie Dyer Mystery and is a Colorado historical fiction set in 1892. I hope to finish it by Christmas!

3. We've all heard of bucket lists -- you know, those life-wish lists of experiences, dreams or goals we want to accomplish-- what's one of yours?

Making my living as a fiction writer is a primary one. In the meantime, I dream of taking month-long writing trips each year to France – picking a spot steeped with history and charm, propping my keyboard and concocting my stories. I learned French wines many years ago, so my destinations would be Provence…Beaune in Burgundy…the Loire Valley. I suppose learning to speak French beyond my current high school competency should also be in the bucket.

4. Most writers have an Achilles heel with their writing. Confess, what's yours?

I get distracted by life. Right now I am living in Frisco. I thought it would be a great move – I could tele-commute with my work as a financial investigator, and write during off hours inspired by our beautiful mountains. However since I ski and bike and participate in the great social activities up here, I’m struggling again for more time and focus. But it is a fun struggle and one that I am happy to have!

5. What do you love most about the writing life?

I love getting lost in my story and my characters. Creating conversations and dialog among my characters and as they speak, getting to know them better. I also love other writers. I love to learn about their work, their inspiration and their individual disciplines. It helps me.

6. Now that you have a little writing experience, what advice would you go back and give yourself as a beginning writer?

My advice to me would be to seek out a critique group – one with thoughtful people whose feedback can be trusted. I was afraid of what might be said about my writing when I started out. I was afraid I’d be too crushed by critiques to continue. I refreshed my writing approach four years ago when I joined the Capitol Hill group after six years away from writing, and vowed to do it all better this time. So far, so good.

7. What does your desk look like? What item must be on your desk? Do you have any personal, fun items you keep on it?

I am seriously boring in this department, although I do like to have a nice, interesting lamp. And a clock. A Thesaurus is mandatory since I wordsmith just about everything.

8. What book are you currently reading (or what was the last one you read)?

I just finished The Voice is All – The Lonely Victory of Jack Kerouac by Joyce Johnson. It’s a biography that focuses on how he acquired his writing voice. It made me happy I’m not destined to be an important literary author. On the fiction side, one of my favorite things is reading books by RMFW writers. Ian Ballard was a Capitol Hill Critique Group member and his debut Total Victim Theory is powerful. I picked up The Big Bang by WOTY Linda Joffe Hull at last year’s conference and just sent it off to my mom – she’ll love it. Pam Nowak inspires me with her historical research. I am finishing Teresa Rizzo’s latest, He Belongs to Me. Great entertainment and great resources right here in my own backyard!

Thanks, Judy! We appreciate all you do and hope you always find all the volunteers you need so we can continue to grow.

2016 Anthology: Found

FOUND : Sometimes things are better off lost. And sometimes they were never meant to disappear. Either way, when they’re found, everything changes. Explore illuminating tales of short fiction that reveal the consequences of finding something once lost or better off forgotten. These stories will draw you in and show you the profound changes that happen when something is found. This collection contains both award-winning and talented new writers including Mark Stevens, Dean Wyant, J.A. Kazimer, Joshua Viola, Diana Holguin-Balogh, Terry Kroenung, Natasha Watts, and more. More Info